When THQ sold off their intellectual properties in a bankruptcy sale a few years back, the announcement of Gearbox acquiring the Homeworld name piqued the interest of many RTS fans. The original games are regarded as one of the better RTS games to be released during an era of fantastic RTS games, and many were interested to see what Gearbox would do with their new property. The end product is a remastering of the first two Homeworld games, and the collection should not be missed by both RTS fans, and fans of gaming history.
The Homeworld Remastered Collection will go down as one of the better remastered games, up their with Metal Gear Sold: The Twin Snakes. Much like the remastering of the PlayStation classic, Homeworld has seen a significant upgrade to its graphics. If I hadn’t known that the game was built off of a game released in 1999, I could easily be convinced that the remastered Homeworld games were entries to the RTS genre. With updated textures, support for 4K resolutions, and new skyboxes, the game is gorgeous. Just watch the launch trailer below to get a good sense of what the game looks like.
If you aren’t familiar with the Homeworld series, the plot is rather interesting for a genre that is usually lacking in that area. To sum it up quickly, humans find new technology that includes a galaxy map with points on the map, humans spend years constructing the Mothership to take them to the points on the map, crazy things happen, and you get to blow things up in space. With any RTS though, where the game really counts is in the gameplay, and Homeworld is loads of fun.
This is my first venture into the Homeworld series, so I tried to look at the game like it is a new RTS, not a remastered version of a classic. The game employs the traditional RTS mechanics: build units, harvest resources, destroy the enemy. Where it differentiates is in the unit movement. Since the game is set in space, you have access to the full 3D space to move your units around the map. This extra layer may sound intimidating, but once you play an hour or so of the game, movement doesn’t feel all that different from other RTS. It consists mainly of selecting units and moving them around the map.
It could be the setting of space, because the game really doesn’t differentiate from other RTS games. But for some reason it feels fresh and unique in the genre. Like other RTS games, my main tactic was “build more units than the enemy.” You can research new ships, and bigger ships will provide better support for you in battle.
There are many different types of ships to build and research, and plenty of gadgets at your disposal to not get destroyed in combat. The game can be punishing, but if you know how to play RTS games, it will provide a decent challenge that won’t be too demanding.
This is a rather simple review for what is a complex game. But after my time with the game, I can’t recommend it enough, especially if you enjoyed Homeworld when it was originally released. This is a fantastic remastered game, and it should be enjoyed by all gaming enthusiasts.
Score: 9/10
Homeworld Remsastered Collection was developed and published by Gearbox Software for PC on February 25th, 2015. A retail copy of the PC version was provided to us by Gearbox Software for reviewing purposes.
